Two of us are heading to south of France in July.Year before we got the train.Great service,but wondered about the ferries..???How does the price compare..????Who is responsible for securing the bikes safely...???

Ferry or tunnel
Hi ferry approx half the price of the tunnel but takes more than twice as long to get over channel. Train is 35 mins and you just sit with your bike. There's a loo onboard but not much else as only short journey. Ferry Dover to Calais approx 2-3 hours and you just strap bike down with straps onboard. Your responsible for strapping it down. Hope this is of some help. You tube have videos of boarding both methods.

Ferry
I dont think you have to strap the bike on the boat by yourself. I crossed the channel with friend also on bike about 8 times and bikes was always strapped and unstrapped securely by boat staff. Just for peace of mind just wait until they finish

train or ferry
Thanks for replying.In 2010 we did,Liverpool to Ashford,35min on the train then on to Reims.Where we had an hotel booked.Good hard ride for day one .I was thinking that the ferry would obviously break the journey nicely..

Euro tunnel or ferry
We did Portsmouth to le havre last year guys on board did help us but we had to ask also there was not enough pads to protect bike when strapped down had to use gloves prices this year have gone up due to Olympics not much differance between tunnel or ferry we are using tunnel in June £44 return ferry was £40 pounds

Time taken for Dover Calais varied according to the boat you are on, but is about an hour and a half. I always take the ferry as it gives a good break in the journey.

As for strapping down it varies between companies. P&O use to do it for you but lately they let you do it, but offer assistance if you need it. Its not difficult and tbh I prefer to do it myself. Channel ferries always have straps available whereas in the Med, they give you a bit of string to tie the bike to the railings

tunnel every time!
I put this in another thread, my feelings haven't changed.

I love the Euro Tunnel, I just love it. I think every time I've used it I've pulled up, self checked in, and it's offered me the next crossing, no extra charge. I went last year on it at end of July, returned start of August, £70 return. I think that's pretty good. I've never had to queue up as long as I have for a ferry. No fannying about with strapping your bike down. No dicking about getting valuables etc and carrying them around for 2hours. No having to remember how to get back to you deck where your bike is. (and just for me, no sea sickness!)

Only downside for bike riders is there's no seating and the floors are obviously dirty, and not much to look at - still, it's only 30minutes or so.

Euro Tunnel or Ferry.
Ferry for me, although I must admit I haven't been recently. Why would you want to sit on the floor of a train with no view when you could watch the British coast recede and the French coast approach, have a proper breakfast, watch the the people, the seagulls and the waves?

Things might have changed but when I've travelled the crew secure the bike (and I think it should be so) although I hover and make sure I'm happy with the job. The deck is locked so all you need to take is your passport and wallet.

I agree with hapylemon666, for the short distance tunnel everytime.Que to get on, tie your bike down, waky races when you get off. By the time you tie down and get up stairs your at the otherside on train, as he says if your early you get an earlier train.

If you are off to the South of France another option is the ferry to Bilbao or Santander, both are only a short ride to the South of France across the Pyrenees, worth the effort. OK it takes 24hrs but how long were you planning to get to your destination, take that mileage and cost off and the longer ferry becomes more viable. Also they take the responsibilty for lashing the bikes down and have plenty of padding etc.